


Children of War

by siltscribe



Category: Rover Red: Alone in Apocalypse, Rover Red: Alone in Apocalypse (Podcast)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 03:29:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10505496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/siltscribe/pseuds/siltscribe
Summary: Lieutenant Slade and E.V.i.E. have a heart to heart as they leave the Coliseum, and start heading towards Death.   This story takes place after Episode 8.5 of Project Nightlight - more info in the notes.





	

 

The night was warm and inviting as Slade stepped into it, thankful to be out of the Coliseum. He trudged through the Otherwhere silently, no immediate destination in mind. E.V.i.E. knew he needed to head towards the Death Province, per Joelene’s… instructions (if you could call them that), but she didn't immediately course-correct him. 

 

“Lieutenant Slade,” E.V.i.E. started, in a surprisingly gentle tone for an AI, “why didn’t you tell me you have children?” 

 

Slade rolled his eyes and continued down the concrete path, wanting no part in the conversation E.V.i.E. was starting. Joelene bringing up his family was the last thing that he had expected, and he still hadn’t recovered from the impact it had had on him.  He waited a while to answer, listening to the sound of his shoes clopping against the asphalt.  

 

“Why do you think, E.V.i.E?”. 

 

“Lieutenant Slade, I don’t think. I am an artificial intelli-“

 

“Not what I meant, E.V.i.E., and you know it.”  He kept his answers short and clipped, hoping that she’d get the hint and let it go. 

 

“I do. It is the same reason I’m not programmed to know about Rover spies, and the detonators in the compounds, and the -”

 

“Yeah. You got it. Do you want a cookie or something? I mean, gee, it’s  _ real _ hard to figure out why I’d want them to stay secret, isn't it?“ He stopped in his tracks, immediately regretting his tone. Groaning, he buried his face in his hands, and exhaled, dragging them down over his lips. “E.V.i.E., I’m sorry. That was uncalled for. “

 

“A lot of things you do are uncalled for.” 

 

_ Rude,  _ he thought.  _ But certainly not wrong _ . He was well aware of how much of an asshole he could be if the situation called for it. Was it his fault that nearly every day in Apocalypse seemed to call for it?

 

“Lieutenant Slade? It’ll be morning soon. We should try to find a safe place to stay.”

 

Slade nodded. “You’re right. Scan the area for a cave, or something similar. I don’t know if we can make it to the Fortress in time.”  

 

E.V.i.E. did as he asked, and it was only a moment before he heard a familiar tone, the shortest route appearing on his HUD.

 

“Isn’t that just like Joelene, to let me go only a short while before sunrise? Would it have killed her to offer us a room for the night? I mean, the amenities weren’t much - and her bedside manner definitely needs work - and I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t have exactly minded spending the evening on a concrete bed if it meant I wouldn’t be taken by the si--”

 

“Would it help you to talk about them?”

 

Slade stopped in his tracks, surprised by her interruption. Some of the people milling around had stopped what they were doing and were starting to stare at the man talking to himself in the middle of the path - but he ignored it.  He had grown up a Rover after all. The opinions of the citizens of Apocalypse had quit mattering to him a long time ago.  

 

He drew a slow, calming breath before responding. E.V.i.E. offering to help him wasn’t anything new, even if this wasn’t the type of thing he normally needed help with.  He wasn’t even surprised she seemed to be handling the subject extra delicately. It was common knowledge that sometimes E.V.i.E. units would develop bonds with the Rover in which they were implanted. It was for this reason, in fact, that the devices were programmed with misleading or somewhat lacking information. But regardless of intent, it wasn’t making him feel any better. 

 

“Why would it?” 

 

E.V.i.E. seemed unaffected by his mood, and replied evenly. “Lieutenant Slade, did you forget about the sensors deployed when I was implanted in your ear? These sensors can monitor your well-being and your brain activity, and there has been a significant change in yours since Joelene threatened your family. I thought that by offering to listen to you, I could function as an outlet, to avoid any future... issues.“ 

 

The awkward pause before that final word felt somewhat foreign for Slade, as the AI usually seemed fairly confident, if not downright arrogant, when she offered advice. 

 

“Issues?” 

 

“Yes. Issues. Before the First Bloom, many humans visited other humans to work on problems like these. Sometimes to talk, sometimes to perform exercises? That part is a bit unclear. But what I do know, is that humans do not deal with negative emotions efficiently, especially on their own.” 

 

“And you do?”

 

“I am an artificial intelligence. I do not experience negative emotions. But if I did, I am confident that I would handle them better than you. “ E.V.i.E. paused a beat, then continued. “In the future, you might consider suggesting that the Fortress add some sort of therapy node to my interface that is specifically programmed to deal with this sort of thing. I would imagine that many of your Rovers could use the service.”

 

He chuckled, ignoring the subtle dig, as he glanced at his display to make sure they were headed in the right direction. Arguing with an AI never seemed to end in his favor, especially when it seemed just as stubborn as he was. This time was sure to be no different. 

 

“Ohh man. Of course my AI decides she wants to be the first AI to tackle emotions. Fine. What would you like to know? Their shoe size? Breakfast drink preferences? You already know their names, and that if I quit being Joelene’s dancing puppet, even for a moment, that they... that she…  _ silt. _ ..” His voice betrayed him, and he felt himself choking up. 

 

“Lieutenant Slade, I don't recommend focusing on Joelene or her threats at this point.  It won’t help you. I suggest thinking about something more on the positive side. What did they like to do? Do they have a favorite food? Are they going to be warriors when they grow up?”

 

“Warriors?”

 

“Well, they’re currently living in the province of War, aren’t they? It would make sense.”

 

Slade laughed, shaking his head. Not that he knew if  E.V.i.E. could see it or not, but he felt she probably could. “No, it really wouldn't. I mean, I guess it could, but... not if you knew them.” Up ahead, the shelter marked on his map came into view. Relieved, he ducked inside and sat down, his back against the cooling rock of the wall.

 

“Well. Haley might. Apparently, she’s made friends with some of the guys living in the same bunker they’re in.  Follows them around, calls them pretend code names and everything. Her ‘best friend’ she calls Blue -- and her mom thought he was an imaginary friend for a months, until he stopped by the house with some old radios for the girls to play with... Silt, I wish I could have been there to see Cerise’s face when they showed up at the door...”  

 

During his story, he’d pulled a small cup from his pack and was turning it over in his hands. It was familiar, and a tiny bit of home that he was able to carry with him wherever he was. As silly as it sounded, it helped him to convince himself that he was doing the right thing, and that eventually he’d be able to be back with his family. 

 

Closing his eyes, he shook his head, and continued. “The other girls though? No way. Ata’s convinced she’s going to be  _ just like me.  _ A  _ Rover.  _ E.V.i.E, can you imagine? And Tina… well, she wants to be a noble.” 

 

“A… noble? Like… Ricketts?” 

 

Slade snorted. “Yeah. No idea what she’s heard about them, but it’s in her head that that’s what she wants to be. Weird powdered wig and everything.”

 

There was a pause before E.V.i.E. replied. “And… you and your wife are okay with that?”

 

“Yeah, E.V.i.E., I’m totally cool with raising a baby Ricketts. No, of  _ course not  _ \- but it’s not like …” 

 

Slade cut himself off. He didn’t have the heart to finish - and he knew he wouldn’t have to. He, and E.V.i.E. by proxy, both knew that none of the girls’ goals would be likely to happen.  Ata was the only one who stood a chance - the Rovers were always recruiting.

 

But no. Even if the small family hadn’t currently been hiding in the War Province, with all things considered, he wasn’t even sure they’d grow up at all, let alone to be any of the things they thought they wanted to be.

 

Returning his attention to the cup, he turned it over in his hands, as he did every night. It was a child’s cup. Small, delicate, and very out of place in his hands. The cup was blue, with a generic floral pattern sprawled across it. The handle of the cup was designed to look like it was part of the pattern, and that it was the vines of whatever flower depicted on the cup. It was not a flower that he’d ever seen - if it had ever existed at all. He’d never seen any flowers in Apocalypse. 

 

In fact, Ata, the youngest out of his three girls, had a theory. She didn’t think flowers existed.  _ At all. _ She had a bet with her sisters, that someday, when she was part of a compound, that she would prove it. She would “rove” around, and go all over Apocalypse - just to prove there were no flowers.  

 

That girl was the spitting image of himself - but perhaps twice as stubborn. If that were even possible...

 

His thoughts were interrupted by E.V.i.E.’s voice echoing inside his head. 

 

“The cup. It’s broken. Why do you keep a broken trinket? Your water bottle would be much more efficient for holding liquid.”

 

She was right. The cup, as simplistically pretty as it was, had several cracks that spidered across it. Repairs had been attempted, and if you glanced at the cup very quickly, without focusing on any set area of it, you might be convinced. But there was no point in arguing - there was no way the cup would ever function as a cup again. Then again, being hurled into a wall by a furious child, well, he was surprised that the cup had survived in any recognizable form. 

 

“This cup isn’t for drinking, E.V.i,E… It’s for remembering.” 

 

“Remembering what?”

 

It was a good question. He hadn’t let himself remember anything in the longest time. Sure, he thought of his family, and he had the cup… But what good was remembering your family, if you wouldn’t let yourself revisit the memories?   He’d spent the last few years afraid to talk about his family, for fear they would be found out. He didn’t let himself revisit any of their memories; because it hurt too much.  

He had to admit, it had been nice to talk about his family a little. To E.V.i.E; not to Joelene. Joelene could eat silt. And with any luck, he’d be the one to help that treat happen whenever the day came. 

But keeping his family a secret had been exhausting.  Why he thought it would be easy to keep them from E.V.i.E, who literally was inside his head, he didn’t know.  But it had taken it’s toll, and he was honestly surprised that he’d be able to keep them from her for this long. 

 

It seemed pointless now to continue to pretend they didn’t exist. E.V.i.E. knew. Sasha knew. Joelene knew. For all he knew, all of Conquest probably knew. Maybe E.V.i.E. had a point. It would be nice to be able to talk openly about them again. Maybe they could even meet someday? He smiled at the thought of how the girls would react to “meeting” an AI. Ata for sure would love the idea… 

 

“E.V.i.E. - switch to local file storage only. Blackbox all of this. If anything I’m about to tell you makes its way to the Council, the Fortress -  _ anyone - _ I won’t hesitate to do everything in my power to wipe your circuits and make you into a walkie talkie for my girls. Are we clear?”

 

“Understood.”

  
Slade, sighed, repacking the cup and leaning back against the wall. He doubted sleep was happening tonight. “Allright, E.V.i.E. You wanted a story, here goes... It was one of my last days with them. And… have you ever heard of a tea party…?”

**Author's Note:**

> f you aren’t a Patreon supporter, you might be a little lost right now -- not unlike E.V.i.E. (What? She throws SO much shade at us, she can handle it. Trust.) 
> 
> The short and mildly spoilery version, is that we found out at the end of the episode that Slade has a wife and 3 kids. They live in the War District, and were a secret. (Fun fact! The kids are named after three members of the fandom: Ata, Tina, and Haley. Don’t ask why, we don’t have any idea. The names were just the voting password one week, and then the next week - BOOM. Slade babies.) 
> 
> This of course gives SO MUCH more depth to our favorite Asshat… and way more insight to everything he does - but those are theories for Tumblr and Discord - and I’ll happily scream at you about them if you like. 
> 
> I should also note - we know very very little about them, or the War district as far as canon goes. So a lot of this is going to be me completely winging it, and tweaking as we go,


End file.
